Battle for Erinn
by Cichol's Messenger
Summary: A Milletian named Tecan comes to Erinn through the Soul Stream and finds that he has more in store for him than a new life. Will Erinn be completely destroyed?
1. Chapter 1

My duties on Erinn…if anything about them, I could say that they were some of the best and worst times of my lives and incarnations. I was brought to Erinn for a purpose, and I lived that life well. I lived through much on that world, and for that I am glad. My soul will never be the same.

But now to the beginning of my journey. I barely remember anything…I just remember this warmth, almost as if I was being engulfed by some outside power. I saw the eyes of my loved ones above me as I closed mine for what I thought would be the last time. I exhaled, and embraced death. And then, it happened.

I suddenly felt myself fall onto a hard surface, like a platform of some sort. Through my eyelids, I could see light. Was this heaven? I lifted myself slowly to find that I was mistaken, for I was standing on a small platform in the middle of a sea of light. There was nothing above or below.

I took a few steps forward, and saw a lone owl race past the platform, gliding on the empty air. I took a few steps more and looked down at my feet. I was wearing leather boots. That was strange to me, considering I never put them on. I then noticed the huge engraving on the platform in the shape of a Celtic Knot. I took a step back and noticed the huge staircase that seemed to descend endlessly.

More owls flew past me as I stood there. Suddenly, from the platform's center came a flash of bright light. I shielded my eyes with my forearm, slowly backing away. As I stepped back, I moved my arm and saw what was there.

Before me stood a beautiful woman in an elegant black silk dress. Her white hair shone in the light of the sky, creating a wonderful sheen. She raised her back from its arched position and opened her eyes. They were like pools of water, glowing a vivid blue color. She smiled at me, revealing her pearly white teeth.

"Excuse me," I asked, walking toward her, "do you know where I am?"

She looked me over several times before answering in her sweet voice. "You must be Tecan…" she half-whispered. Tecan? Had I heard that name before? "I'm Nao," she continued. "It's nice to finally meet you, Tecan. I brought you here from your past life." My past life? So I wasn't dead?

"I'm sorry," I said, "but I think you have the wrong person. I'm supposed to be dead."

She giggled a bit. "There's no mistake, Tecan. I brought you here on the orders of Morrighan, our protector." This was all familiar to me in a way I didn't understand.

"Why do you keep calling me Tecan? And who is this Morrighan?"

She placed a finger over her mouth, as if to hush me. "These are questions for later, Tecan. Right now, we need to get you on your way to Erinn!" She giggled a bit. "As you know, I'm Nao. I guide souls like yours to our world from others. You, Tecan, are what we call a Milletian. You came from Earth to serve on Erinn."

"This is all so new to me," I objected. "How can any of this…"

She interrupted with a hushing sound. "You'll find the answer soon enough, Tecan. Now, it is time for you to go. Before I send you off, you should have these." She handed me a small book and a few pieces of warm bread. "Now, Tecan, are you ready to travel to Erinn and fulfill your duties as a protector?" I nodded. I was about as ready as I could ever be. At that moment, I realized just how young I felt. Nothing at all like my old body. I assumed I was around 17 or 18 years old.

I could see Nao concentrating, as if getting ready to use some strange power. Finally, she lifted her hand and swiped it one time. I felt myself beginning to float. "Good luck, Tecan!" I heard Nao call out. I still had no idea what that was about. A force engulfed me, and I felt myself collide with a hard surface that felt like stone.


	2. Chapter 2

I opened my eyes to the sound of shouting. I pushed myself up with my new athletic arms and looked around. Down a long path I could see a boy, maybe about 15, shouting at me. He wore a large armored helmet that appeared to be too big for his head. I ran over to him in a huff. What was the rush?

"Finally, you come," he said in an annoyed voice. "I've been waiting for you!" He shook his head in an annoyed but sympathetic way. I looked around behind him, noticing the lush trees and green grass. "So…" the boy responded after a large pause, "you're Tecan? Nice to meet you. I'm Tin."

"Nice to meet you too, Tin," I said. "Where am I supposed to be going, exactly? I'm new here."

Tin broke out laughing. "Of course you're new! No one who isn't comes through this way!" He settled down. "Before I send you down there, I should be giving you a few things. For one, you're going to need a weapon, eh? How else do you expect to defend against the Fomors?" He tossed me a small sword that looked like it could easily be wielded in one hand. And then I realized what he had said.

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but what are these…Fomors?" I asked, confused.

"Nao must not have told you, eh? They're big old beasts, some of them bigger than elephants! Of course, they control animals too. Any animal being possessed has to have one of these somewhere inside it." He pulled a small, colored scroll from his pocket and held it up. "It's engraved with the Fomor command spell. That is, Tachy Granide Ichanatora Mana Prow."

I nodded. "But now," he continued, "let's get back to what I'm supposed to give you. You should take this Fomor Scroll for safe keeping. It came from an Ogre, the boss of the Fomor army. Let's just say that the one who gave me this barely survived the encounter." He passed it to me. I slipped it into the pocket of my pants. "Now, when you go into town, you need to see Chief Duncan for more instruction. He's near the big old tree in the town's center. You can't miss it…or him."

"Alright," I confirmed. I began running almost immediately, without even thanking Tin. I sprinted until I reached the exit of the clearing where the path opened up. With a loud creak and crash, the trees behind me closed up, apparently magically. It was as if the place had never existed. I shook it off and continued down the path.

I could see several people in the town square from there. That was where the tree was, after all. I ran, mainly because I hadn't physically been able to do so for years. It felt great to be young again. I quickly hurried up the stairs and looked around.

An old man with long, white hair caught my eye. He seemed to be paying attention to the people in the square. As soon as he spotted me walking toward him, he turned toward me, looking me over. "Chief Duncan?" I asked.

He looked down at a small list in his hand. "So, you're Tecan?" How did everyone know my name?

"Yes sir," I responded, trying to be respectful to the man.

"Nao sent me a message about you. I'm glad you came to our village, as I think you'll find yourself very welcome here." He whistled loudly through his fingers. Almost immediately, a bright white owl came speeding through the air and landed on his arm. He held it for a moment, and then it flew toward me, cawing loudly. It stared at me for a few seconds, then flew away.

"There you go," Duncan spoke after the owl was gone, "I've told the owls your name. They should start delivering mail to you now. If you ever need to call them, just whistle through your fingers. So, do you have any questions?"

I shook my head. I figured that I could just figure things out as they came to me. "Oh, and one more thing, Tecan. You should take this." He passed me a large map scroll. One side was a map of this town that was titled "Tir Chonaill." The other side said "Erinn" in bold letters, and displayed a huge area full of cities and landforms. Was that the entire world?

Duncan looked back to me and spoke again. "Feel free now to explore our town. If you ever need me, please feel free to come back, Tecan." I turned and began walking away. I felt satisfied with myself. Then, I explored Tir Chonaill.


	3. Chapter 3

The first building I passed was the general shop, with its looms and wheels out front. I walked further and passed the grocery store, which smelled of warm bread. Speaking of bread, I realized I was hungry. I took out one of the slices Nao had given me and took a huge bite. It tasted delicious, almost like the fire of an oven. Before I knew it, I had completely circled the square and eaten all of the bread. It was just then that an owl came flying at me.

Since Duncan had told me that they could come at any minute, I knew it was for me. I held up my hand, grabbing the scroll as it was dropped. I immediately unrolled it and begun reading.

~~OFFICIAL SUMMONS~~

TECAN, PLEASE SEE ME IMMEDIATELY. YOUR TRAINING FOR THE OFFICIAL ALIECH DEFENSE FORCE IS SCHEDULED TO BEGIN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. I AM LOCATED JUST PAST THE CHURCH OF LYMILARK, TIR CHONAILL DIVISION.

~~RANALD~~

Ranald? Who was that? Probably some warrior. I started walking down the path to the church, and then kept walking past. Eventually, a brick building with a large yard came into view. A huge sign on the west wall read "Tir Chonaill School". Was this the place?

I passed the building and entered the yard through the gate. In front were several warriors training with swords. I felt the sword attached to my belt. Then I continued walking.

I approached a large man in the front of the building. He wore a cloth vest and leather boots. His long, blue hair was tied in a huge ponytail. Occasionally, he called something out to one of the men training. I walked up to him.

"Are you Ranald?" I asked. He turned to face me slowly, watching my every move.

"Yes, and you are?" He pondered for a moment and answered his own question. "You're Tecan! You came quickly. You're here for your training, I assume." He quickly swiped the sword out of my belt and swung it around a few times. "Excellent weapon," he admired. He tossed it back to me.

"So," I questioned, "what do I do?"

Ranald was about to answer when a haunting scream rang out across the valley. From within the forest past the courtyard flew the body of a man. It slammed into the ground just inches in front of me. There were claw and bite marks all over it. Huge bruises from punching could be distinguished. I shivered.

Huge footsteps were heard through the trees. Trees fell in the wake of the approaching beast. It was getting close. I could feel the vibrations in my body with each of its strides. "It can't be," Ranald half-whispered. I felt like asking what it was. I knew it wasn't appropriate, though.

The front layer of trees collapsed, revealing the monster's huge face. "Ogre!" Ranald shouted. "Everyone, defense positions!" He drew his sword: a huge blade that appeared taller than even me. He lifted it with both hands and began charging the Ogre.

I watched as Ranald leaped forward and smashed the Ogre backward, almost knocking it over. However, it recovered quickly and slammed him back with a huge hand. It appeared to be at least 15 feet tall. All of the other warriors charged the monster, but to no avail. Every last one was swatted away like an insect. With no one but me left, I planned to do one of the craziest things I could have imagined.

As I stood there for a moment, I thought of what Tin had said about Ogres. They were deadly creatures. But then I thought of everyone else, and I decided on my answer. I drew my short sword and charged.

The Ogre stared at me for a moment before even trying to respond. I first struck at its leg, knocking it off balance. It collapsed to the ground. I immediately jumped onto its chest and began hacking. The Ogre squealed in pain before shaking me off. It stood up slowly put its hands together, as if concentrating. A huge, sphere of heat began to form around its body, spinning rapidly. He spent a few more moments in this position, then released his power. The huge ball of flame flew into the sky and began descending. I ran toward a bush for cover, and I heard someone scream, "It's using Fireball!"

The powerful attack collided with the ground, starting a huge explosion of fire. I was safe, but many of the warriors were not. Several were completely destroyed in the blast. When the smoke cleared, I saw that an entire segment of the forest was gone. The Ogre roared. I was determined now. I charged again and struck both legs, severing one foot. Now unable to move, the Ogre knew its fate was sealed. I rose myself onto its chest and prepared my sword to strike the final blow. Then, I shoved my blade directly into the monster's chest.

I removed my blade and re-sheathed it on my belt, now walking back to Ranald, who had gotten up. He simply stared at me in disbelief. "Tecan…? Did you just…down that…Ogre…?" He stammered on his words. I too realized then what I had done. I gulped then, realizing what was in store for me.


	4. Chapter 4

Ranald began walking toward me slowly, still in awe of both the Ogre and me. He gripped me by the shoulder as he walked by, practically forcing me to come with him. I walked next to him as he went up the stairs and into the school's rear yard. From there, he called out loudly, as if to summon an animal. Before I could speak, a light brown horse came rushing out of the rear stable and stopped directly in front of Ranald.

I jumped on the front, and Ranald the back. I didn't know where we were going, but I assumed that he did. He kicked the horse sharply one time, yelling, "Heeyah!" Then the horse began to gallop. While we rode down the path through south Tir Chonaill, Ranald scribbled something on a scroll and whistled. He passed the scroll to the owl who responded without breaking stride.

"Tecan," Ranald spoke after we had left Tir Chonaill, "this is a serious situation. If the Fomors are in our own home village, then we know that they are elsewhere. Which is why I'm taking you with me to the Royal Guard Station, located in Tara." We rode past a strange looking camp with a few huts and tents, then turned sharply to the right, entering a small forest. I could hear bears.

"But, Ranald, how are we supposed to get to Tara?" I pointed to its location on my map, and he nodded, as if to say I know. "It's pretty far away," I added.

"Nothing is too far, boy. We'll make it there in a matter of days. No more than two."

Two whole days? What would become of Tir Chonaill while we were gone? I decided not to ask while we were heading to Tara. It would be a bit…too much for him right now. I decided to just hold tight while we rode and not speak. We passed some very beautiful scenery on the ride, mainly in the Silab Gorge. By the time the first day ended and we camped out, we were past Taillteann.

"I'm sorry about this, Tecan," Ranald told me after he set up our fire. "I shouldn't have dragged you along on this trip, but we're already too far to quit. The upside of this is that you'll get to see Tara, our beautiful capitol city." Ranald looked around, taking in the view of the Silab Mountains to the south. He sighed quietly.

I slept well that night, and dreamed of Nao. I couldn't help but think there was something different about her. Just the way everything about her was seemed different to me. Or at least I couldn't help but think that.

I woke in the morning to find Ranald getting ready to leave. I got all my stuff together (which wasn't much) and hopped onto his horse. Then we began riding again. We passed through the rest of the Taillteann Fields and entered the Corrib Valley within hours. We passed a wonderful waterfall that Ranald said was our signal that we were getting close.

Finally, by the time we exited the Corrib Valley, I could see huge gates ahead. There was a huge sign above them, which I examined.

**WELCOME TO TARA! THE ROYAL CAPTIOL OF THE ALIECH**

**KINGDOM WELCOMES YOU!**

As we got even closer, I saw people roaming the streets inside. There were people of all shapes and sizes. Even some abnormally large people with some huge muscles. That seemed weird to me. Then we passed through the gates. The guardsmen called out joyously to us, waving us into the city.

All the buildings were made of stone accented with stained wood. The theme, I thought, was very pleasant and gave the town a feeling of welcome. That welcome though, as I would soon find, wasn't exactly as it appeared.

The city was huge. We rode through street after street, and we never seemed to stop. Eventually, we crossed through the town square and began approaching a huge, cathedral like building with a large bell tower. Engraved on the building's front were the words "Tara Royal Defense Administration and Court of Law." It seemed the appropriate place to be headed.

Ranald tethered his horse outside and began running toward the main door. I followed, barely keeping up with him. I reached him almost at the door, and together, we slammed it open. The gored, bloody body of a guardsmen fell onto Ranald. I drew my sword.


End file.
